- Disney to see another round of layoffs
Source: United Press International
“Disney is preparing for another round of layoffs, and some managers were told to cut 20% of expenses, unnamed sources told multiple media outlets Tuesday. The cuts will be the fourth round of layoffs in 2026 and under CEO Josh D’Amaro, Forbes, Variety and CNBC reported. The Bloomberg report, which cited anonymous sources, said some departments ‘will be affected disproportionately,’ but didn’t say which ones.” (11/03/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/11/03/disney-layoffs-coming/5511793736423/
- The Fall of the House of Annual Fundraiser Update
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Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily - Democrats take House, Senate in US midterm elections
Source: Associated Press
“Democrats have won control of Congress in a widespread repudiation of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, a drubbing that reached deep into reliable GOP territory. Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats in ruby-red states and battlegrounds alike: Kansas, which hasn’t elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. They held on to battleground seats in Georgia and Michigan. In the House, Democrats flipped more than two dozen districts, some that voted for Trump by double digits in 2024.” (11/04/26)
- Four oil tankers destroyed in Hormuz after hitting mines, Tehran says
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Four oil tankers caught fire after hitting mines while attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran said Wednesday, after it warned no one would benefit from a return to war. It came a day after US President Donald Trump said the United States had launched strikes on the Islamic republic, following reports of a raid on Qeshm, the largest island in the strait. … Indirect contact between the United States and Iran via mediators has continued with little sign of any diplomatic breakthrough, and Iran has said it is ready to reopen the strait but only if Washington agrees to a long-standing list of demands.” (11/04/26)
- Federal judge strips ICE of presumption of honesty, orders agency to turn over arrest records and bodycam footage after agent fabricated report
Source: Yahoo! News
“A federal judge in Oregon says he can no longer assume ICE agents are telling the truth in their arrest paperwork, declaring Monday that live testimony is now ‘necessary’ after finding that warrantless arrests are still being made and facts are being ‘fabricated in official records’ by immigration officers. In a 50-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled that ICE repeatedly violated an existing court order governing warrantless immigration arrests in the Beaver State, with inaccurate reports, missing records and accounts that did not match what actually happened. The judge’s loss of confidence in the agency was so pronounced that he withdrew the usual presumption that government officials have properly performed their duties.” (11/03/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/federal-judge-strips-ice-presumption-192003753.html
- Ukraine: Russian attacks hit energy facilities in Odesa and Zhytomyr regions
Source: AOL
“Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight left more than 180,000 customers in the Zhytomyr region without power and heavily damaged a facility belonging to private energy firm DTEK in the Odesa region, officials and the company said. Scheduled power outages were in place across the Odesa region. About 130 settlements in the Zhytomyr region were without electricity on Tuesday morning, according to its governor, Vitalii Bunechko. No deaths or injuries were reported.” (11/03/26)
https://www.aol.com/articles/russian-attacks-hit-energy-facilities-065508000.html
- Trump says US regime will cut off $4 billion in aid to Israeli regime
Source: The Hill
“President Trump said on Tuesday that he has reached a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that will end U.S. aid to Israel this year. Trump said in an interview with ‘Fox and Friends’ that he and Netanyahu made a deal ‘months ago’ for Washington to end its aid to Israel. ‘They’re fine with it,’ the president said. ‘They’ve become a very successful country, They don’t need it, and we won’t be paying anymore.’ Trump noted that the U.S. would ‘help’ Israel if they need it, noting the Middle Eastern country has been ‘a great ally.'” (11/03/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6191387-trump-netanyahu-end-us-aid/
- TN: Bodycam video shows moments after man fatally shot by National Guard in Memphis
Source: CBS News
“Tennessee National Guard troops in Memphis last summer trained their handguns on a man as he lay dying on a sidewalk after a guard member shot him in the back, video released Monday by county prosecutors shows. A Memphis police officer can be heard in the footage from an officer’s body camera calling for an ambulance and then asking the troops, ‘Hey, you guys got a medical kit or anything?’ … [Tyrin] Johnson, 20, who had been armed, died at the scene from a single gunshot wound, according to investigators. An autopsy report shared by Johnson’s family found that he was shot in the back, contradicting police and National Guard accounts that said he was facing the guard members with a gun when they fired at him.” (11/03/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bodycam-video-moments-after-man-fatally-shot-national-guard-memphis/
- Flights across Europe face disruption after false bomb threats
Source: ABC News
“Several flights across Europe received alleged bomb threats Tuesday that ultimately turned out to be hoaxes but prompted searches, diversions and, in one case, an escort by the Italian Air Force until landing, officials said.” (11/03/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/flights-europe-hit-bomb-threats-turned-hoaxes-137808325
- China: Court hears US$53.5 billion Covid defamation case against US state of Missouri
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“A Chinese court has begun hearings in a defamation case filed by authorities and institutes in Beijing and Wuhan against the US state of Missouri over accusations tied to Covid-19.
In a notice on Monday, the Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court said it held a hearing on Friday and legal proceedings were continuing. The case was jointly filed on April 30, 2025 by the Wuhan government in Hubei province, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and its subordinate entity, the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), against Missouri and two of its former attorneys general, Eric Schmitt and Andrew Bailey. … The plaintiffs said the defendants ‘orchestrated, promoted and executed malicious and abusive litigation in the US, fabricated and disseminated false information and issued stigmatising and discriminatory remarks’, according to the court statement on Monday.” (11/03/26) - Spain: Police Clear Remaining Housing Protesters From Madrid Encampment
Source: US News & World Report
“Spanish police removed remaining protesters and tents from Madrid’s main square early on Tuesday, officials said, after most of the people demonstrating against soaring rents, home shortages and evictions had already left voluntarily. The pre-dawn operation ended a five-week encampment in the Puerta del Sol square that had become a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis and contributed to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s decision to call a snap general election for November 29. The protests were sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, who later died, with marches called by tenants’ unions held across Spain.” (11/03/26)
- Senegal: Opposition-dominated parliament rejects revised budget bill
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Senegal’s National Assembly, which is dominated by the opposition, rejected a key budget bill Tuesday, a text that was seen as crucial to restoring public finances as the country finalises an IMF bailout. Senegal in September announced it had struck a $2.2-billion International Monetary Fund debt programme aimed at stabilising its public finances. But the IMF has yet to announce executive board approval and the bailout is subject to certain conditions. The country’s powerful Pastef party, which holds an overwhelming majority in parliament, has long made clear its rejection of the 2026 revised budget, which came before parliament Tuesday.” (11/03/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20261103-senegal-powerful-opposition-rejects-crucial-budget-bill
- Rubio urges Venezuelan regime to release remaining political prisoners
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The US has urged Venezuela to release the remaining political prisoners being held in the South American country. More than 1,000 political prisoners have been freed since US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a military raid on Caracas on 3 January and took him to New York, where he faces trial on drug-trafficking and torture charges. But Venezuelan prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal says 322 people remain in detention. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his Venezuelan counterpart, Oliver Blanco, on Monday where he called for their release and discussed reforms aimed at laying the groundwork for free, fair, and credible elections, the US state department said.” (11/03/26)
- NASA’s Swift observatory is expected to return to Earth on November 4
Source: Engadget
“NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory will re-enter our atmosphere around 3:30AM Eastern time tomorrow, November 4, according to the US Armed Forces’ predictions. The exact time could be different, as the prediction has an ‘uncertainty of 11 hours.’ But the 3,200-pound spacecraft is heading back to Earth for sure, 22 years after it launched and after the agency’s attempt to save it failed. … The agency ended Swift observatory’s operations in late October after it entered safe mode and prepared for re-entry.” (11/03/26)
- TN: Escaped Inmate Jacob Morley Captured After Week on the Run
Source: Newsweek
“Jacob Morley has been captured in Missouri after more than a week after he escaped the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, officials announced Tuesday. ‘Escaped inmate Jacob Allen Morley has been apprehended in Missouri by law enforcement,’ the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) said in a post on Facebook. ‘Thank you to our law enforcement partners and the public for their assistance in his capture,’ the post read. Officials did not immediately provide information on where exactly Morley was found or how he was located. Morley was last seen on surveillance footage stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 from a lot near Tiptonville, around two miles from the prison. The vehicle was than spotted by Hornbeak Fire Department in western Tennessee Monday morning on surveillance footage. The fire department later reported that the truck had also been spotted in the nearby city of Troy.” (11/03/26)
https://www.newsweek.com/jacob-morley-missouri-captured-murderer-prison-escape-12657977
- Lebanon cuts power to public bodies as electricity crisis deepens
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water has begun shutting down the supply of electricity to approximately 100 public institutions that have outstanding bill payments, according to local media. The decision, which began to take effect on Monday, marks a further escalation in Energy Minister Joe Saddi’s dispute with the government. Saddi recently began boycotting cabinet meetings over what he claims is the government’s failure to address his demands to increase power supply, reduce the burden of fuel costs and settle unpaid bills to the state-owned electricity company.” (11/03/26)
- UK: “Quiet quitting” could be hitting the economy; here’s why
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The so-called ‘quiet quitting’ trend where workers do the basic requirements of a job but refuse to do anything more might be hitting the economy, analysis has found. Over the last decade, Britons have become less engaged with the jobs they do and are less willing to put in extra effort, according to a Resolution Foundation report. The thinktank said this could partly help explain the slump in productivity since the pandemic. ‘This is self-evidently bad for workers, but it also doesn’t bode well for productivity and labour supply, both of which are vital for lifting living standards in the years ahead,’ said Hannah Slaughter, principal economist at the Resolution Foundation. Quiet quitting was popularised on social media shortly after the pandemic. Frustrated by high demands, low pay, and a squeeze in living standards, many online posts said workers should only do what their bosses asked and nothing more.” (11/03/26)
- June Carpenter, 1938-2026
Source: US News & World Report
“Sister June Carpenter, one of the last members of the only remaining community of the Shaker religious movement, died Tuesday. She was in her late 80s. Carpenter had been struggling with health problems and limited mobility, according to an announcement from the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine. The announcement said she was born in 1938 but did not give a date. Carpenter was one of two longtime members of the Sabbathday community of Shakers in New Gloucester, Maine, along with Brother Arnold Hadd. A third member joined the community last year. Sabbathday is the last active community in what was once a constellation of Shaker sites founded by the celibate religious movement in the 18th and 19th centuries. A trained librarian, Carpenter was credited with organizing and cataloging the village’s extensive collections of history, writings and other records, making them more accessible to researchers.” (11/03/26)
- Australia: Court hears challenges to social media ban
Source: ABC News
“Australia’s highest court on Tuesday began hearing constitutional challenges to the nation’s world-first legislation banning children younger than 16 from popular social media platforms. The seven High Court judges began hearing two challenges to the ban that took effect last year on young children holding accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Kick, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch. The first challenge was brought by Sydney-based rights group Digital Freedom Project. They claim the law improperly robs millions of young Australians of a right to freedom of political communication implied in Australia’s constitution. The second challenge comes from U.S. online forum Reddit, which argues the ban raised issues of privacy and political expression.” (11/03/26)
- MI: Butthurt fans whine over Springsteen’s support for El-Sayed in US Senate race
Source: Fox News
“Bruce Springsteen has a message for Michigan voters, and some of his longtime fans aren’t having it. The rock legend faced criticism from some social media users after backing Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, prompting angry fans to accuse The Boss of crossing a political line. Springsteen, who has never shied away from politics, took aim at President Donald Trump in his endorsement of El-Sayed, portraying the progressive candidate as a defender of American democracy. ‘Dr. El-Sayed is a fighter for our American Constitution, he’s a fighter for our American Democracy, and he’s a fighter against the corrupt, lawless, and anti-American leadership currently in the White House. That’s why I’m in his corner 100%. – Bruce Springsteen,’ he penned on social media. Critics questioned why the New Jersey-born singer was endorsing El-Sayed, given controversies over the candidate’s political associations and positions on Israel.” (11/03/26)
- The Food Is Fine. The Recall Process Isn’t.
Source: Independent Institute
by Raymond J March“Last week, the FDA announced a recall of more than 4.3 million tubes of toothpaste. The recall covers 17 varieties, including several marketed to children under brands like Crayola, Hot Wheels, and My Little Pony. No illnesses or injuries have been reported. But toothpaste recalls are just the latest in what seems like a never-ending list of products being recalled by the FDA. The public has noticed. A recent survey reported by Fortune finds 94 percent of Americans are concerned about how often food is being recalled, and two-thirds now avoid an entire food category after a single recall.” (11/03/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/11/03/food-recall-process/
- Escape from Brazil
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, has fled Brazil after the corrupt socialist incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was ‘reelected’ to a fourth term by what the American Spectator calls ‘a stunningly irregular vote.’ Flávio’s father has been in prison since 2024 for supposedly plotting a coup against Lula. And this October, after the results of the second round of the presidential election were announced, the Lula government tried to prevent the son from traveling by acting to confiscate his passports. But Flávio Bolsonaro saw the writing on the wall and got out before he could be arrested for having the temerity to run for president.” (11/03/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/11/03/escape-from-brazil/
- Election 2026: Happy Days Are Here Again — In The Worst Way
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“These days, elections don’t end when the votes are cast and counted. In every close race (and many not-so-close races) of consequence, the supposed losers and their supporters move immediately to screeching ‘Rigged! Stolen!’ They demand recounts. They go to court seeking to have ballot boxes seized and election officials indicted. … No matter what happens today, expect Election 2026 to drag on into the new year.” (11/03/26)
- When police treat free speech as suspicious activity
Source: Expression
by Cary Davis“Think of a political or social issue you care about. Now imagine your local city council is considering taking some action related to that issue. You decide to show up to the public comment period and make your voice heard. Then you learn that local police will be monitoring the meeting, looking specifically for ‘unusual questions,’ ‘verbal conflict,’ ’emotional confrontations,’ ‘social media amplification,’ and more. Such conduct will be treated as ‘suspicious behavior’ posing ‘public safety risks.’ Would you think twice about freely sharing your opinion? Unfortunately, that thought experiment isn’t hypothetical.” (11/03/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/when-police-treat-free-speech-as
- Your Speech Will Pay for New Mexico’s $25 Billion Meta Penalty
Source: Cato Institute
by David Inserra“On October 21, a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay the state $25 billion for violating its Unfair Practices Act. That penalty is massive. But the bigger problem is how the judgment treats the gap between a platform’s moderation promises and its imperfect enforcement as deception, penalizing platforms for moderating protected speech and sidestepping Section 230 and the First Amendment. If nothing is done to stop these attacks on free expression, we will all lose access to online platforms, big and small, as we know them.” (11/03/26)
https://www.cato.org/blog/speech-will-pay-new-mexicos-25-billion-meta-penalty
- Meaningless Midterms in Terms of Liberty
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“Notwithstanding the manifest failure of America’s welfare-warfare state and managed-society way of life, with its massive spending, taxation, inflation, and debt, Americans unfortunately remain wedded to this dysfunctional system. The midterm elections are simply a battle over who will exercise the power and dispense the largess that comes with the evil and immoral systems that have destroyed our liberty, privacy, and well-being. To get our nation back on the right track, Americans must move beyond trying to elect the ‘right’ people to public office through a political game of musical chairs.” (11/03/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/11/03/meaningless-midterms-in-terms-of-liberty/
- Republicans Deserve to Lose, but Democrats Do Not Deserve to Win
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul“The Trump-era Republican record of debt and war makes Republicans, with few exceptions, unworthy of support. However, many Democrats offer an unacceptable alternative.” (11/03/26)
- DSA Platform Wants a New Political System; What Would Change?
Source: Town Hall
by Americans for Prosperity“The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) want to overhaul America’s system of government. Its current political program calls for abolishing the Senate and Electoral College and replacing the presidency and Supreme Court with institutions controlled by Congress. These changes would dismantle much of the system of checks and balances established by America’s Founders — a system that has worked well for over 250 years. Here’s what the DSA platform wants to change: 1.) Abolish the U.S. Senate. … 2.) The DSA platform wants to abolish the Electoral College. … 3.) DSA’s proposal would weaken separation of powers, by putting the country’s leader under the authority of the same lawmakers who write our laws. The president can veto legislation passed by Congress. … 4.) The DSA platform wants to replace the Supreme Court with a new system in which Congress chooses the judges and has authority over the courts.” (11/03/26)
- Even a Shellacking Tonight Won’t Pull MAGA Out of the Moral Morass
Source: The UnPopulist
by Damon Linker“The movement’s leaders have given themselves permission to do anything to defeat the Democratic enemy.” (11/03/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/even-a-shellacking-tonight-wont-pull
- Heads We Win, Tails You’re Decertified
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan“When will we know the outcome of the midterm elections? If your answer is ‘when all the ballots are counted,’ think again. Republicans are trying to institutionalize two later stages at which they could overturn the results.” (11/03/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/election-certification-seating-formalities-republicans
- Western News Media Propagandists Describe US Bombing In Iran As “Defensive”
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“The propagandists of the American press have been uncritically describing recent US airstrikes on Iran as ‘defensive’ despite the US being the clear aggressor in this ongoing conflict, and despite the United States existing on the other side of the planet from Iran. CBS News was the most egregious offender with its headline, ‘U.S. launches defensive strikes at Iranian targets near Strait of Hormuz’. The title frames it as an objective fact that the attack was defensive in nature, without quotation marks around the word ‘defensive’ and without even bothering to uncritically cite US officials as the source of this claim. As a reminder, CBS News was recently acquired by David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison, who is one of the wealthiest people on the planet with a net worth of some $160 billion and who is also the largest single donor to the Israeli military.” (11/04/26)
- What the Woke Canon Gets Right—and Wrong
Source: Persuasion
by Sam Kahn“Reading Foucault, Said, Galtung, Crenshaw, and Butler exposes liberalism’s real weak points, along with the strongest ways to defend it.” (11/03/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/saving-liberalism-from-wokeness
- On Election Day, We All Get to Be Haley Stevens and Pick the (Hopefully) Less Lousy Candidates
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille“However they voted, Americans waking up Wednesday morning can probably sympathize with Rep. Haley Stevens (D–Mich.), who surprised campaign watchers by rescinding her support for her party’s Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, and endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in the race. After her past harsh words for the GOP hopeful, Stevens seems an unlikely Rogers fan. Instead, it appears she concluded that he sucks less than the Democrat and cast her lot accordingly. Most voters can sympathize. … Americans seem to make similar calculations as their political choices swing wildly between America’s two entrenched major parties, through the ideological mutations suffered by those organizations.” (11/03/26)
- The US economy’s sturdy pillar: Family firms
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“The campaigning to win American votes in Tuesday’s elections has been highly partisan. But there’s overwhelming consensus on one issue: Eighty-seven percent of voters, according to a Gallup survey last week, agree that the economy is ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ important in these elections. Their concerns range from inflation to anticipated job losses from the use of artificial intelligence. Yet amid the economic turbulence, a substantial share of business is holding steady. And it is doing so by hewing to a balance of profitability, purpose, and a people-first approach. These are the often highly successful but not very visible family-owned companies, which account for 25% of U.S. firms and employ 23% of the workforce. They typically focus on consistent, long-term progress built on consensus and a shared respect and purpose that encompasses all levels: staff, managers, owners, and customers.” (11/02/26)
- Maybe the Republican Fever Will Finally Break This Time
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher“The GOP can’t sustain itself as a party without principles led by a mob boss. Tonight’s midterm results may make that reality impossible to ignore.” (11/03/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/11/03/maybe-the-republican-fever-will-finally-break-this-time/
- China’s AI Bubble Burst: Will This be Another Export to the United States?
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker“It seems to have gotten relatively little attention here, but China’s AI stocks have taken a sharp dive over the last four months. Reuters put the plunge at 40% in the STAR50 index, which includes most of the country’s AI and tech-related companies. The article said this drop corresponded to a loss of $480 billion in market wealth. There are several important points about this plunge that should provide lessons for investors in the United States. The first and most obvious lesson is that sharp plunges in stock prices like this can happen. That shouldn’t really be news. … Another striking point about China’s crash is how little money is involved. None of us will ever see $480 billion, but this sum is trivial compared to the sums in play with the U.S. AI and tech companies.” (11/03/26)
- Voting Is an Act of Care for What Matters
Source: Inequality.org
by Danielle Atkinson & Kelly Little“This country depends on caregivers, but too often it fails the very people holding our families and communities together. As we head into the midterms, we have the chance to make our voices heard on the policies that affect our lives and families’ futures. A 2025 AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving survey found that 63 million Americans identify as caregivers, nearly 50% more than the decade prior. That’s millions of people raising children, caring for aging parents, supporting loved ones with disabilities, all while balancing that labor with jobs and bills of their own. Caregiver needs and experiences deserve to be represented in the decisions we make at the ballot box. Both of us are parents (one of us is a mother to six beautiful children and leads an advocacy organization and the other is a father and maternal health advocate).” (11/03/26)
- The Public School Exodus Continues
Source: American Greatness
by Larry Sand“According to a September Gallup poll, Americans’ satisfaction with K-12 education has fallen to 32 percent, the lowest level since Gallup began tracking the issue 27 years ago. Nearly half of Americans said the country’s schools did a poor job of preparing students to think critically and solve problems. ‘Preparing students for the current world of work’ and ‘preparing students to work effectively with others’ also received low ratings. The results of any poll raise questions about its accuracy. But, as former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Policy Bruno Manno notes, a second survey from 2025, the Phi Delta Kappa Poll, asks a different question. It asks Americans to grade schools like a report card rather than rate their satisfaction, and its findings mirror the Gallup poll. Just 13 percent of respondents gave U.S. public schools an A or B, and scores have fallen every year since 2017.” (11/03/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/11/03/the-public-school-exodus-continues/
- Genes, Guesses and Going Concerns
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie“Biological evolution, scientific progress and the market economy run on the same engine. Something new is tried. Most attempts fail. The few that survive are kept and built upon. Genes, theories and businesses all advance this way, by trial and the elimination of error. The obvious objection is that nature is random while science and commerce are purposive. Mutations happen by accident. Scientists and entrepreneurs act by design. Surely that changes everything? It changes less than it seems. What is random in nature is the variation, not the selection.” (11/03/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/genes-guesses-and-going-concerns
- Pete Hegseth must answer for his record and face the consequences
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jon Duffy“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may be looking for his next job. According to Puck, senators are discussing Hegseth’s interest in an appointment to Marsha Blackburn’s seat if she wins Tuesday’s election to become Tennessee governor. The prospect comes as lawmakers prepare to pursue Hegseth’s impeachment over his conduct in office. The Pentagon has dismissed the reporting as gossip and insists Hegseth’s priority remains leading the department. Whether he stays or goes, Congress must require him to answer for his record.” (11/03/26)
- Why Milei’s Chainsaw Revolution Required Restraint
Source: The Daily Economy
by Ehsan Mousavi“Critics are divided as Javier Milei takes gradual, constrained steps toward the radical free market he campaigned on.” (11/03/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/why-mileis-chainsaw-revolution-required-restraint/
- Election Day Through Russian Eyes
Source: The Next Move
by Garry Kasparov“How do I see Election Day through Russian eyes? In Russia, we had a couple of elections in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At first, they were free and mostly fair. After Boris Yeltsin forced through a new constitution and invaded Chechnya, those elections were free but no longer fair. Anyone could run, and anyone could vote, but the playing field was tilted heavily in the government’s favor. Yet even this stunted democracy proved to be an aberration in Russian history. By the end of the decade, we fell back into our old habits. Every other freedom rests on the freedom to choose our leaders. That is why, in the early days of Vladimir’s Putin’s reign, I joined a broad-based opposition movement.” (11/03/26)
https://www.thenextmove.org/p/election-day-through-russian-eyes
- Brussels Eyes Europe’s Savings
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Cláudia Ascensão Nunes“On October 9, EU finance ministers reached a political agreement to move supervision of Europe’s largest cross-border trading venues and market infrastructure from national regulators to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) in Paris. EU leaders want the package agreed by the end of the year. ‘Europe has the savings. Now it’s time to put them to work,’ said Ireland’s finance minister, Simon Harris, whose country holds the rotating Council presidency until the end of 2026. He meant the roughly €10 trillion that, according to the Council, European households keep in low-yield bank deposits. Brussels insists no one will be forced to move a single euro. Meanwhile, it is building an entire system to move that euro where it wants it to go. The plan raises a question about the legitimacy of a state that treats family savings as a resource it can exploit.” (11/03/26)
- Poll: More Democrats Now Support Socialism Over Capitalism
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“The divisions in this election are deep and widening across the country. When I called this ‘an age of rage’ years ago, I noted that the rage historically tends to burn off in time. We are clearly still at the flow rather than the ebb stage as rage politics continues. However, the most worrisome elements of this period are fundamental changes being demanded to our constitutional and economic systems. A new poll by The Economist/YouGov is consistent with other polls showing rising support among Democrats for socialism. More Democrats (38%) prefer socialism to capitalism (25%). Other polls show 60% had a favorable view of socialism and only 32% had favorable views of capitalism. Capitalism is still favored by 79% of Republicans in comparison to only 5% favoring socialism. The poll of independents showed 44% favored capitalism, with only 21% favoring socialism.” (11/03/26)
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/11/03/poll-more-democrats-now-support-socialism-over-capitalism/
- Controlling the Narrative Is Not the Same As Controlling the World
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Charles Hugh Smith“The core dynamic of this era is the notion that controlling the narrative controls the world, as persuading the populace to believe something is true controls their convictions which then control their behaviors. Centralized powers discovered the potential for narrative control to control the world in the 20th century, as mass communications enabled centralized control of what is presented as true and important. Propaganda has an ugly tone, so now we say narrative control, which is of course a comically obvious propaganda technique. … But narrative control doesn’t actually control the world.” (11/03/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/controlling-narrative-not-same-controlling-world
- No Matter What Happens in Today’s Elections, We Still Have Work To Do.
Source: Roads Go Ever On
by Bekah Graham“Voting is only the beginning for those united against fascism. In fact, I expect our hardest days are still ahead—and we are going to need each other to get through them.” (11/03/26)
https://bekahgwen.substack.com/p/no-matter-what-we-still-have-work
- Negative Partisanship Psychosis Infects Both Parties
Source: The Dispatch
by Justin Stapley“The philosophical throughline that intersects both justifying absolute support for Trump, and every Republican, and declaring absolute opposition to Trump, and every Republican, contains significant elements of civic decay and political discord, namely zero-sum political thinking and negative partisanship. Further, both perspectives are intellectually inconsistent, holding justifications for their positions that they only consider legitimate from their own perspectives and never from others. Both perspectives have suppressed the better angels of their nature in the name of the spirit of party.” (11/03/26)
- The Future of Brazil’s Fight Against Neofascism
Source: Liberal Currents
by Marcela Gottschald“Lula’s victory mattered, and has averted the worst outcomes. But neofascism has not been defeated in Brazil.” (11/03/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-future-of-brazils-fight-against-neofascism/
- Britain’s elites are in hysterics over looming “war” with Russia
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Ian Proud“British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting recently said the U.K. has 1000 days to be ‘ready with our allies to fight and win.’ The enemy is obvious: Russia. The catch: London doesn’t have the cash to fight, and ordinary folk aren’t interested. This latest reminder that war with our Slavic foes is imminent is vague and unspecified, and frankly tedious.” (11/03/26)
- Trumping [TM] the Presidency: Buying Elections, Selling Merch
Source: Common Dreams
by Paul Josephson“Someday soon, it will be possible to call for an orange skin cosmetology appointment with your not-made-in-America Trump phone, which has been on back order for 18 months; schedule the appointment with your Trump watch; and pay for it (and a new US passport with a likeness of President Donald Trump) with Trump bitcoins, while staying at a Trump hotel near a Trump golf course. You can already take a cross country trip to visit national parks with your Trump digital pass embossed with a picture of George Washington and a convicted felon. … There are limits to Trump merch. When you get cancer you will not be treated in Trump Hospital because there is none and your medical insurance has been eliminated.” (11/03/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-buying-and-selling
- Reflections on a County Election
Source: Law & Liberty
by Anne Lord“George Caleb Bingham’s famous painting depicts the beauty and turmoil of American national character.” (11/03/26)
- “Boiling Point”: How America lit and fueled the Ukraine war
Source: Asia Times
by John P Ruehl“The narrative surrounding the Ukraine war often marks its beginning on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. But the rivalries and political decisions that brought the two countries into conflict stretch back centuries. The start of the Cold War, meanwhile, was the beginning of sustained US efforts to further antagonize Ukraine’s relationship with Moscow.” (11/03/26)
https://asiatimes.com/2026/11/boiling-point-how-america-lit-and-fueled-the-ukraine-war/
- Today Is the End of the World as We Know It
Source: The American Conservative
by Jude Russo“[T]hese elections are different, and will be memorable—not because anything will happen, but because they constitute the last contest of the Trump era. Donald Trump will never lead the GOP to the polls again. Whatever happens today—and it’s probably not going to be very pretty for the Republicans—will set the stage for a year and a half of vicious infighting over what the post-Trump party is going to be. Analysis, spin, and recrimination will be the order of the day. Of course Trump will still have two more years to inflict war and/or peace on the rest of the world. And of course Trump is going to keep his hand in GOP politics as long as he’s alive and able to get a television crew out to wherever he’s living and golfing. But this is the day from which his power will wane.” (11/03/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/today-is-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it/
- William Gibson and the Future We Didn’t Get
Source: Aaron Ross Powell
by Aaron Ross Powell“My rereading of all of William Gibson’s novels has brought me to the end of the Bridge Trilogy. What struck me wasn’t (just) how much of its imagined future feels like today’s actual present. It was instead how much I felt nostalgic for the parts of its future that don’t.” (11/02/26)
- The Logic of Voting for a Lesser Evil — and Other Writings on the Ethics of Voting
Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Ilya Somin“Many people, including some political theorists, believe we have a moral duty to vote. I disagree. Indeed, I think – in many cases – it’s better if you don’t vote, especially if ignorance and bias make it likely you will make a bad decision. Casting a ballot motivated by ignorance and bias is often worse than not voting at all.” (11/02/26)
- Privacy’s Defenders Podcast, 11/03/26
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
“The Secret Room.” (11/03/26)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/privacys-defenders-podcast-secret-room
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 11/03/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Claims He’ll End $4 Billion in Military Aid to Israel, US Watched Qeshm Air Defense, and More.” (11/03/26)
- The Fifth Column: Midterm Madness
Source: The Fifth Column
“[Y[our favorite podcast hosts plus special guests Peter Meijer, Jessica Tarlov, Jamie Kirchick, Mary Katharine Ham, Josh Barro, Megan McArdle, Ben Dreyfuss, Jonathan Martin and more!” (11/03/26)
- America This Week, 11/03/26
Source: Racket News
“Walter Kirn and I will be back on air tonight, watching Election Night lunacy and pondering questions big, small, and in between, as the calendar flips from Midterms to Campaign ‘28.” (11/03/26)
- Capital Record, episode 331
Source: National Review
“Selling a House How You Want to Sell It.” (11/03/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/selling-a-house-how-you-want-to-sell-it/
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 11/03/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Election Desperation? Trump Promised To End Israel Aid!” (11/03/26)
- Sal and Mark, episode 24
Source: Free Talk Live
“Sal and Mark kick off with Aaron of Houdini Swap on the brand new Stealth Send feature inside Edge Wallet, then Paul Puey of Edge Wallet joins to talk about how the integration came together.” (11/03/26)
- Trump Watch, 11/03/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Midterms Will Not Bring Us Freedom.” (11/03/26)
- Compound Interest, 11/03/26
Source: Semafor
“The race to privatize space without killing everyone.” (11/03/26)
- Emily Jashinsky on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott interviews Emily Jashinsky about the recent report detailing Trump’s activities with Jeffrey Epstein and his circles.” (11/03/26)
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 11/03/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Karen Kwiatkowski: Netanyahu Wants Trump to Attack Iran Immediately After Midterms.” (11/03/26)
- Enemies of the State, episode 6
Source: Enemies of the State
“James Babb and Larken Rose on authority, conscience, human behavior and the power of ideas.” (11/03/26)
- Advisory Opinions, 11/03/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Election Day Surprises.” (11/03/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/election-day-surprises/
- Law & Liberty Podcast, 11/03/26
Source: Law & Liberty
“Civilizing Markets with Samuel Gregg, hosted by James M. Patterson.” (11/03/260
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 11/03/26
Source: The New Republic
“He’s Been Forecasting for 42 Years. He Predicts a Crushing GOP Defeat.” (11/03/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/217483/he-forecasting-42-years-predicts-crushing-gop-defeat
- LPALive, episode 85
Source: LP Alliance
“Come hang out with us to speak with some candidates and have a bit of a party before the results start rolling in!” (11/03/26)
- Show-Me Institute Podcast, 11/03/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“Who’s in Charge of Missouri’s Schools? with Cory Koedel.” (11/03/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/education/whos-in-charge-of-missouris-schools-with-cory-koedel/
- After October 7, 11/03/26
Source: Quillette
‘Fleur Hassan-Nahoum on Zionism and the Jewish Return.” (11/03/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/11/03/fleur-hassan-nahoum-on-zionism-and-the-jewish-return/
- Fountainhead Forum, episode 509
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Kevin DeAnna on capital punishment in history and live executions.” (11/02/26)
- NPR Politics Podcast, 11/02/26
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“Where things stand as voting winds down.” (11/02/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/11/02/nx-s1-6026403/where-things-stand-as-voting-winds-down